Warning out on fungicide use in leather products

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has called on all local chief executives to ban products containing the fungicide Dimethylfumarate (DMF), which is usually found in leather furniture, shoes and other leather products.

DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno made the call after the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through its Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection, sought the department’s assistance to ensure that products containing DMF are not placed or made available in the market.

DMF, as a fungicide, is used to protect furniture and leather products against molds during storage, transit and use in a humid climate.

According to Puno, the DTI’s request is in support of the decision of the European Union to immediately ban all products with DMF.

In a directive, Puno asked all provincial governors, city and municipal mayors and barangay heads to make sure that producers of leather furniture and footwear within their respective localities do not use DMF in their products.

“If already in the market, these products have to be recalled and withdrawn without delay, and consumers have to be informed about the serious risk,” Puno said.

Puno also said local officials should take the lead in conducting an information campaign on the health risks of DMF.

Already banned in the European Union, DMF is usually placed in sachets, which are placed inside the furniture or added to footwear boxes. DMF evaporates and impregnates the leather, protecting it from molds.

However, DMF has been found to penetrate through the clothes into the skin of many consumers, causing painful dermatitis.

DMF can cause severe allergic reactions, including skin itching, irritation, redness and burns, and in some cases, acute respiratory difficulties.